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Category: Political Involvement

George Soros stands in stark contrast to President Donald Trump. Forbes magazine ranks George Soros as the 19th wealthiest man on planet earth. But for some reason, Donald Trump is not included on the list. It seems that Donald Trump may not even be a billionaire after all. It seems a little odd that he may not have the wealth that he brags about.

But let’s just take a look at what these men do with their money. A few years back, George Soros swooped in to donate $35 million to the state of New York. The money was and at supplementing a federal stimulus program for poor families during a difficult economic time. The federal program matched state funds 4-to-1. This allowed the state of New York to give $200 extra per child to families in need at the outset of the school year. Essentially, George Soros bought school supplies for millions of children across New York State.

Donald Trump does something completely different with his money. He invests in foreign companies, hires foreign workers and has his goods made in foreign countries. He then hires a team of lawyers to hide his wealth from the federal government so that he can dodge paying taxes. And with the extra money that he saves, he sets up failing companies like Trump University and Trump Steaks. He is even being sued by the attendees of Trump University because those people discovered that his business was a scam. Visit Project Syndicate to learn more about George.

The way that these men treat their money may come from their backgrounds. George Soros is a miracle of life. His hard-working Jewish father liquidated his family’s assets in order to dodge the Nazis during the outset of World War II in Budapest. His father changed his family name to Soros in order to avoid identification as being a Jewish family.

Anti-Semitism was rampant across mainland Europe at the conclusion of World War II. George Soros’s family escaped this persecution by relocating to London. This is where George Soros would go to school and create his wealth. After working his way through college, Soros made billions on the British stock markets. He made a giant splash and became a hedge fund celebrity after making $1 billion in one day. He turned nothing into billions. Read more on BigThink about George Soros

Donald Trump, on the other hand, inherited his wealth from his father. And while Trump went to military school, he received for deferments during the Vietnam War for bone spurs in his ankles. Trump claims that he built his entire empire on a $1 million loan from his father. It turns out that he inherited $200 million when his father died. He is not a self-made man and he lacks courage.

Betsy was nominated and later confirmed as the United States Sectary of Education in the Donald Trump administration in February 2017. It is her passion and dedication to the education system that got her nominated.

In her first few days of taking office, Betsy DeVos has managed to make great changes to the education sector. First, she signed the draft order that was given by President Donald Trump on the Transgender rights. The draft bill is seeking to reverse the transgender bill passed by former President Barack Obama. The bill offered protection to the transgender students and allowed them to use any of the bathrooms. It is not clear the motivation behind the reversal of the law. But, one thing is clear, transgender students will be subject to bullying.

The second significant change is allowing the financial lenders to charge hefty penalties to students who default in payment. This move can result in two things: there will be enough finances for students who can’t cater for their studies and the students may drop out for fear of the loans. Either way; the order from the President and the Secretary of Education will affect the education system significantly. One can only hope it is a move towards the right direction. Read more news on LA Times.

Philanthropic work

In a report released to the public, Betsy DeVos and her husband Dick have contributed $139 million to different organizations. Most of their contributions have been done through their foundation- Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation. Through the Foundation, the couple has contributed millions to hospitals, Christian schools, art organizations, and Evangelical missions.

She has her husband also provided financial support to a center that will teach managers and the directors how to manage and fundraise for their institutions. In 2009, the couple founded the ArtPrize which is an international art competition.

Betsy and Dick DeVos established an annual scholarship program that will support students earning Bachelor of Business Administration or the Master of Business Administration at the Northwood University.

She has been actively involved in politics since 1982. Betsy has served the Michigan Republican Party as a delegate for 16 consecutive terms. She also served as the Republican National Committeewoman for Michigan from 1992 to 1997. Between 1996 and 2000 Betsy was the chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party. She resigned from the position in 2000 but was later reelected in 2003.

Business Career

She was the chairwoman of the Windquest Group, founded in 1989. The group invests in technology, clean energy, and manufacturing.

Betsy and her husband have also produced a Broadway play in 2012. The play ran for three weeks and closed in December 2012.

Together with her husband, they are the principal investors of the Neurocore which is a group of brain performance centers. They also serve as board members.